Emergence cages are used in the study of soil pests. Exemplary soil pests include corn rootworm larvae, which feed on the roots of corn plants.
Typical emergence cages cover a single plant or a plurality of plants and an adjacent portion of land. The cages include one or more screens located over the portion of land to prevent emerging adult corn rootworm beetles or other pests from escaping. Pest collection jars positioned at the highest point of the cages allow adult beetles or other pests to enter, but prevents their escape. The collection jars are monitored over a period of time to determine when the adult beetles emerge and in what quantities.
A typical test method assumes a solid test population of rootworm larvae present in the soil of the plants being tested. An emergence cage is placed around a single plant of interest, and the number of beetles trapped in the collection jar over time is monitored. A second emergence cage may be placed around a second plant serving as a control. Comparing the number and timing of beetles captured in the collection jars of the emergence cages provides some indication of the resistance of a plant to root damage from soil pests, such as corn rootworm beetles. In addition to the quantity and timing of beetle emergence, root injury may be evaluated on a 0-3 nodal injury scale as described Node-Injury Scale, Oleson, J. D., Y. Park, T. M. Nowatzki, and J. J. Tollefson. 2005. J. Econ. Entomol. 98(1): pp. 1-8. However, neither the typical emergence cage nor node-injury scale methods provide any information regarding movement of pest larvae between plants.
In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, an emergence cage for monitoring the emergence of soil pests in a two plant system is provided. In some embodiments, the cage includes a frame defining a perimeter; a mesh material coupled to the frame, the mesh material allowing air and liquid to pass therethrough but providing a barrier to prevent emerged soil pests from exiting the emergence cage; a base portion having a container opening, a first plant opening configured to receive a first plant, and a second plant opening spaced apart from the first plant opening and configured to receive a second plant, the second plant opening having a first dimension taken along a first axis and a second dimension taken along a second axis perpendicular to the first axis, the second dimension being greater than the first dimension; a first plant seal attached to the first plant opening configured to seal the first plant opening around the first plant; a second plant seal attached to the second plant opening configured to seal the second plant opening around the second plant; and a collection container removably coupled to the container opening.
In another exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, a method for testing the resistance of a plant to soil pests is provided. The method comprises providing a first plant and a second plant adjacent to the first plant in a contiguous sample of soil, the first plant and second plant each having a root system; treating a ground area proximate one of the first plant and the second plant with eggs of the pest of interest; and covering at least a portion of the root system of the first plant and the second plant with an emergence cage, the emergence cage including a frame defining a perimeter, a mesh material coupled to the frame, a first plant opening configured to receive the first plant, a second plant opening configured to receive the second plant, and a collection container for collecting the pests of interest emerging from the covered portion of the root systems of the first and second plants.
In still another exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, a method for comparing the resistance of plants having a root system to a soil pest is provided. The method comprises providing a first plant and a second plant adjacent to the first plant in a contiguous sample of soil; providing a third plant and fourth plant adjacent to the third plant in a contiguous sample of soil; treating a ground area proximate the first plant and the third plant with eggs of the pest of interest; covering at least a portion of the root systems of the first plant and the second plant with a first emergence cage and covering at least a portion of the root systems of the third plant and the fourth plant with a second emergence cage, wherein the first and second emergence cages each include a frame defining a perimeter, a mesh material coupled to the frame, a first plant opening configured to receive one plant, a second plant opening configured to receive the other plant, and a collection container for collecting the pests of interest, emerging from covered portions of the root systems of the first and second plants; determining the number of pests collected in the collection containers of the first and second emergence cages; and comparing the number of pests collected in the collection container of the first emergence cage with the number of pests collected in the collection container of the second emergence cage.
The above mentioned and other features of the invention, and the manner of attaining them, will become more apparent and the invention itself will be better understood by reference to the following description of embodiments of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.